Gen-x Music Classes
Posted by MisterEd1966@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 161 comments
I guess I'm Gen-X v1.0 (born in 1966), and I have a two part question regarding elementary school Music classes.
First, did your elementary school offer Music as part of the regular curriculum? I'm curious regarding when Music class offerings started to diminish, to the point that my own sons did not have that opportunity during their elementary years (2005-2013). (The arts are always the first to go in time of budget cuts!)
Second, and maybe it was just my working-class South Philadelphia suburban district, but we sang a pretty healthy bunch of the old labor songs ("Which Side Are You On", "Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill!", and the like) in class. Those who had Music in elementary school, was that the case where you were? (If so, I can see that being a motivator for, urm, "budget cuts".)
Total_Guard2405@reddit
You get a line, I'll get a pole baby. We'll go down to the crawdad hole. Yes we had music class.
SignificantTear7529@reddit
Are you going to Scarborough Fair??
WhiskeyAndWhiskey97@reddit
Surprisingly, yes. I attended Catholic school preK-5. A volunteer did a sing-along for pre-K, and my school hired a teacher one day a week for grades 1-8.
What was funny is that, over the years, some of the music books got worn out and had to be replaced … One of the songs was “Tit-Willow” from The Mikado. In the newer edition, the lyrics were changed - the bird sang “Willow, tit willow, tit willow” but the “new” lyrics were “Willow, oh willow, oh willow” because heaven forbid children should be exposed to the word “tit”.
eugenesnewdream@reddit
Yep, we had music class from K-8. I went to a Catholic school so I think some of what we sang was religious. I don't remember any old labor songs.
Cysteine_Chapel64@reddit
Yes, but I wasn't part of that. My junior high had marching bands (I'm not sure how common that even is now so opinions welcome) so I was part of that. Then in high school they didn't really have music outside of choir and a song club, so I was part of that as well.
However, I kept up with the clarinet with my parents and played piano until I got into college. As a regret I wish I had kept up with that but I still want to change that now.
skinisblackmetallic@reddit
Class of 89 here. Music teacher came to class in like 2nd or 3rd grade, recorders & autoharp in tow.
In 5th grade, I was allowed to choose an instrument and participate in music classes outside of normal classroom. Continued until 7th grade when I was afraid to carry my violin case around.
Ok_Cook394@reddit
1966, Long Island NY. I learned all about wind, string and percussion instruments. Also learned the classics like Beethoven and Tchaikovsky and sung patriotic and American Folk (Woody Guthrie). Study the opera Rigoleto and went to see it performed. This was a public elementary school. My children who went to the same school didn’t learn half of what I did.
OhSusannah@reddit
I am also old GenX and was in elementary school in the 70's. We did have music class. We learned the recorder (I was very bad at it) and some songs I childishly assumed were old folk songs but were actually by The Band ("The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down") and Blood, Sweat and Tears ("Spinning Wheel"). The teachers back then (at least at my public school) were given discretion on what to teach (so long as it stayed within certain bounds) so the music teacher included some favorites from her own record collection.
Carrollz@reddit
No music classes in elementary for me in the 70s. It was an elective in junior high but you could only choose one and I chose language. The cost of renting an instrument played into that choice.
nunyabizthewiz@reddit
We had music at my elementary school. We sang Swing lo sweet chariot…
Dr_StrangeloveGA@reddit
Late 70's - early 80's was elementary school in WNC for me. Miss Brown was the music teacher. She came to our classroom about once every week or two. We sang Scarborough Fair in rounds and our favorite was What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor. Recorders of course and the wooden fish thing. Might have been a xylophone involved a few times.
drumbo10@reddit
56 here yes I’m in the same boat however, I started learning music theory and percussion in grade school and through high school. Been in and out of bands most of my life playing out and what not. My son however has no desire to learn an instrument
GrandeT42@reddit
YouMustBeJoking888@reddit
Had music classes all the way through junior high. In high school it was an elective. My kids had similar.
OperaBunny@reddit
Not elementary, but jr. high elective course, one of my favorite classes. Learned orchestra arrangements, types of family instruments, brass, woodwinds, strings, percussion, etc. Personally loathe it when they reduce budget for athletics and the arts. Maybe if the politicians were better educated in math, social skills and economics, they would know how to balance a budget.
Acrobatic_Ocelot_461@reddit
'68 here, we had music class all through elementary school, on Friday we could bring one of our records to listen to, I brought KISS Love Gun. It was better than Melissa, she brought Disco Duck.
ofthrees@reddit
ooh, you just unlocked a core memory for me. in second grade music class, we were invited to bring our favorite records to class. other kids indeed brought things like love gun; mine was a country home. i brought in 'jolene'.
remains one of my favorite songs, but it did not make me popular in that class in 1983 or whenever it was.
Acrobatic_Ocelot_461@reddit
Everybody loves Dolly
Apawling_Behavior@reddit
Northeast philly (Greenberg elementary, Baldi middle) yes we had music. had to buy a recorder. Sang the witch doctor song. Had to sing it ‘from the diaphragm.’
cutsryd@reddit
1970...violin, recorder, clarinet is when I said F this 😅 We had totally different experiences and damn are we lucky 💯
ofthrees@reddit
yes, had music classes as a kid in the 80s.
all i remember is the recorder, which i (and everyone else) sucked at, but our teacher really tried to teach us strawberry fields on said recorder.
my son, 32, never had music classes in school.
dreaminginteal@reddit
I don't think we had music classes when I was in elementary school in IL.
We did when I spent third grade in DE.
Never really thought about why that might be.
sleeg466@reddit
66 here too. We had music in middle school only. In my school, we only sang and learned theory. There were a few schools throughout the city that actually had instruments as part of music class. I went to a summer program at one of the schools to learn flute and clarinet. That was entirely optional. High school had a full program with orchestra and choir. I did not participate in those classes.
Stuffandstuffedstuff@reddit
So 3rd grade music. Recorder as a test for future band.
Then the singing…Its a Small World, a bunch of classics, and then-the tv show theme songs-Diffrent Strokes, Facts of Life, Jefferson’s…but the one that sticks out the most is MASH. And this is before the final episode…maybe from the movie?
amnichols@reddit
The theme song from MASH is from the movie and show. It’s called Suicide is Painless. My class sang it too. Looking back that was really weird and I’m sure today anything about suicide would be considered off limits.
Stuffandstuffedstuff@reddit
Yep, picture 30 or so 3rd graders singing that. For sure, that wouldn’t fly nowadays.
jones5280@reddit
I learned how to play 'Hot cross buns' on a Suzuki recorder.... however, that skill has been lost to time.
amnichols@reddit
The kids are still learning Hot Cross Buns. My two did in band and my husband is always teasing them about it.
turcorgen@reddit
Always with the Hot Cross Buns!
FiddleStrum@reddit
We must have gone to the same school
amnichols@reddit
Born in ‘64. Miss Guthrie was my middle school music teacher and Miss Heart taught band and orchestra. I played cello in orchestra. We sang a lot of folk songs like Erie Canal, This Land is Your Land, etc. and rock songs from the Beatles and Beach Boys. We also made music videos way before MTV and had “concerts” where the kids dressed up as KISS or Springsteen and the E Street Band. They played along with records and performed for the whole school. It was awesome! We also studied opera - Carmen and The Who’s Tommy. Miss Guthrie arranged to have the Tommy movie shown at the high school on a Friday night. She was the best.
HarryMcW@reddit
'66 here also. No regular classes but in 4th grade they had recorder sessions and gave an aptitude test. From that I started (private) clarinet lessons. In jr high and high school I was in band.
Astronaut6735@reddit
I'm 55. Music class in elementary school was a lot of clapping rhythms (ta ta tee tee ta), playing the autoharp, and singing Barry Manilow songs 🤣.
MisterEd1966@reddit (OP)
I, too, "ta ta tee tee ta"-ed!
Astronaut6735@reddit
tee tee tee tee ta ta
turcorgen@reddit
Can't have one without the other
No_Caterpillar_8573@reddit
I only remember two songs from music class and one of them was “Rainbow Connection” from the Muppet Movie. Not Manilow but same time frame. I’m 56.
turcorgen@reddit
Born in 1970. I remember music class through the 4th grade. Percussion instruments like sand blocks, ridged and hollow sticks, glockenspiel, little cymbals. Recorders, autoharps. Singing. Songs I remember singing: This Land Is Your Land, One Tin Soldier, Proud Mary, Take Me Home Country Roads, You Light Up My Life.
Another highlight was watching Disney's animated version of Prokofiev's "Peter & The Wolf."
Top-Present2299@reddit
Did you sing Country Roads for parents on the last day of Kindergarten too? Were we in the same class?
turcorgen@reddit
No, but they made us all sing You Light Up My Life to our moms around Mother's Day, and all the moms were a weepy mess by the end of it.
BlueFalcon02@reddit
Very late X. Split elementary between TX and CA. Had to learn tonette/recorder in CA. Sang lots to Texas Texas rah rah rah songs in TX. Feels like CA did a few miner 49er lore songs. Also had to square dance.
spsled@reddit
Ahhh yes. The square dancing.
Capital-Meringue-164@reddit
Square dancing was core nationally! I square danced my way across the US in the 80s haha.
spsled@reddit
I was in 7th grade by the Fall of 1980. Everytime I would see a rope that had to be climbed in the movies, I always wondered what part of the country had that. Same for wrestling teams in HS. Non existent in Houston.
FiddleStrum@reddit
My school never had that. But I do remember in gym class in 5th grade, the gym teacher encouraged us to climb to the top of the cargo net, crawl over the ceiling pipe it was hung from and come down the other side. The 80s were a wild time.
Capital-Meringue-164@reddit
😳
mashed_pajamas@reddit
Square dancing was filed under PE for us.
LisaOGiggle@reddit
NC, 1965 edition here. Part of general curriculum through 6th, then elective 7-12. (As choir & band) I loved it. Parents wouldn’t consent for grades 9-12. Broke my heart.
kb_colas@reddit
Yes, we always had music, mostly singing. Jr high we had the option to join or not. When I hit high school we auditioned to be in chorus or band, like in a play. 1973 Florida
Delicious_Iron7977@reddit
I was born in 65, I had music class through 8th grade. Lot of standards in the elementary years, later it was songs from Grease, Xanadu, Village people, Jim Croce, Mac Davis.
2PlasticLobsters@reddit
The Catholic school I was sent to had daily periods called "Music". But there was very little actual education. In 1st grade, we learned enough notes to follow a hymnal. After that, we just sang along to hokey records. There was never any explanation of melody, harmony, or any other musical concept. Most of us hated it.
In 4th or 5th grade, my teacher started berating us for not singing "in parts". She never explained what this meant. She just yelled "These children [on the record] are singing in PARTS! You should be singing in PARTS!". I had a notion that she was referring to alto, tenor, etc., which I'd seen mentioned in my Little House books. She never did explain, and just gave up.
That school sucked all around.
lovemesomezombie@reddit
Born in 66. We had mandatory music class. By 77 it was gone. :(
Ok_Possession4936@reddit
Also from '66, in our part of the south, we didn't have music in small-town elementary but when we moved to the "big city" music was part of our weekly activities. We sang a wide variety of things depending on the season, many of which are horribly unacceptable.
Patient_Doctor4480@reddit
Yep. Born in 71 and had music class from kindergarten thru 8th grade.
QueenVell@reddit
Yes. In fact, my dad was not only my high school choir director, he was also my elementary school music teacher. Music class is still part of the elementary school curriculum back in my hometown. I like to think it's because my dad spent his entire career advocating for the importance of both Music Education and the Fine Arts. At the end of the day, however, I think it boils down to the fact that I live in a state which has always emphasized music (choir and band) and music theory as part of a well rounded education.
The majority of the music was classic American folk music. Songs such as "I've Been Working On The Railroad", "She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain", and "Yankee Doodle". However, there were also some classic Broadway songs tossed into the mix as well. Such as "Do Re Mi" from the Sound of Music, and "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" from Annie.
Born in '76.
Phobos1982@reddit
Yeah we had music classes through 8th grade. They were like once a week. We learned all the patriotic songs and some hippie stuff (One Tin Soldier). My music teacher was black, so she also did a lot of African-American history. Like she's the reason I still remember names like Benjamin Banneker, Booker T Washington, and Elijah McCoy. She even made a song about it to make remembering easier.
cnation01@reddit
I remember singing a railroad song about some guy, big Jim or something like that who out worked everyone. And also about a song about a cat named Del Gado which cracked us all up as kids.
Was happy when my daughter was able to partake in arts classes. We must have dodged the budget cuts.
mommacat94@reddit
Oh, Señor Don Gato was a cat! On a high red roof Don Gato sat!
emmaapeel@reddit
Meow, meow, meow!
cnation01@reddit
Thats it lol
DiamondContent2011@reddit
Had 'Music' class from 1st to 5th Grade. Songs consisted mostly of holiday tunes: Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.
NotEasilyConfused@reddit
'72 We had music K-6. We did pop songs and kids' songs, depending on our age. We could join band in the 6th grade if we were good students. My parents had to buy the instruments, but lessons were part of school.
My kids both had music K-6, in two different states (VA '13-'15 and CO '16-'21). They both had opportunity to join either band or orchestra in the 4th grade with a full-time teacher, and did. Again, we had to get the instruments, but we never had to pay for any kind of lessons.
Material-Breakfast99@reddit
76 here: we had music all the way through 6th grade. The classics were Don Gato, the Erie Canal, and May Not Pass This Way Again. We learned ASL for Sunshine on My Shoulders.
Top-Present2299@reddit
Born 1972. We had music once a week with a music textbook I think through elementary school. we sang Waltzing Matilda…and something that started Green Green, it’s green they say, on the far side of the hill, oooh oooh ooh! Also we had the orrf instruments and third grade recorder.
also got bonus Spanish language from our early elementary music teacher
Square_Hero@reddit
Born in 66. Yes, music was definitely a part of the curriculum. I think in 3rd grade music class we sang Top of the World and Bad Bad Leroy Brown (“whole darn town”)
In middle school or freshman year (can’t remember) I was in choir and we did Drill Ye Terriers, lol.
In ‘76, for the bicentennial we did a musical called “Tall Tom Jefferson”
Repulsive-Box5243@reddit
I was born in '71. I can specifically remember Recorder lessons in 3rd grade. Then, I took Clarinet in 6th grade.
Then in HS I took a theory elective.
gatorgopher@reddit
Also 66. For sure through 5th grade, but probably 6th.
dj_1973@reddit
I had the coolest elementary music teacher. We did the usual chorus songs, but in the last several minutes of class, he’d let the older elementary students (grades 4-5) sing pop songs. He made us lyric sheets (somewhat edited). It was fun.
I still have my folder of mimeographed sheets. Uptown Girl, Cum On Feel The Noize (“because sometimes it’s fun to spell wrong”), We’re Not Gonna Take It, and Billie Jean are in there, among others.
Gold_Structure_668@reddit
We had music in Elementary, sang a lot of different, simple, kid's songs, including NY State folklore, like Paul Bunyan, etc. John Henry, and old Military sings like " When Jonny comes marching home", etc. In the 70s... Recorders in like 3rd grade, chorus was optional, band started in 3rd or 4th...IIRC, it's been a very long time LOL
Initial-Relation-696@reddit
born 61, started clarinet in 5th grade, switched to baritone in 6th and played till I graduated in 79.
DryFoundation2323@reddit
We had a specific music class starting in kindergarten. When we get to 5th grade band and chorus were optional.
The songs were selected by the teacher involved. Usually they were songs that were popular during their particular heyday. In my case my music teacher in elementary school was a hippy. We sang a lot of Beatles like yellow submarine and octopus's garden.
FiddleStrum@reddit
Yes, we had music class in elementary. We were even required to play the recorder in 3rd and 4th grade and has chorus for all 5 years. Chorus is how I learned the names of all the states! Fifty Nifty United States is a helluva catchy tune.
MarcQ1s@reddit
Yes, I think I could still play hot cross buns on a recorder if I was forced to right now…
ChapterOk4000@reddit
Depends on the state (music education administrator here). I grew up in NY, and music was required in grades K-8 when we grew up. I left two decades ago, so that may have changed.
I now live and work in California, and here music programs at all levels, but especially elementary, we're decimated in the 1970s, after the passage of Prop 13 which limited property taxes. Generations of students here have never even heard of general music, including teachers and administrators. I have to do a lot of educating around that. We have since passed Prop 27, which provides around 1 billion a year to schools specifically for arts instruction, so many go those elementary programs are coming back.
Schyznik@reddit
Oh yeah. We learned Woody Guthrie and a lot of other American folk songs, including some from the Civil War Era (Goober Peas, anyone? Godspeed to anyone who would Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd).
When we were lucky we’d get to learn something contemporary like Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.
The year of the Reagan-Carter election we learned “Presidential Boogie” and now 46 years later I can still name all the presidents in order.
But the most fun we ever had was playing with one line from a Revolutionary War classic (“and we’ll all feel GAAAAAYYYYYY when Johnny comes marching home”). Our prim and proper teacher, who played organ for the Methodists on Sundays, was chagrined.
Yeah, at the time a lot of it seemed outdated and irrelevant, but looking back I am really grateful to have gotten every bit of that education. Learned a lot of culture and it set me up to succeed in junior high band.
Stompboxer1@reddit
Most of what I heard in elementary school music-wise was stuff from the 19th century. There was a lot of Stephen Foster compositions played on old, scratched up vinyl records that looked like they were from the 50's. I remember one girl asking if we could do the Bay City Rollers song "Saturday Night." She was told no, as that music was "inappropriate for children."
RoninRobot@reddit
My grade school had an entire school meeting every day first hour where it was mostly singing. The entire time 1st to 6th grade led by the chorus / music teacher. 2nd to 4th grade chorus. 4th to 5th grade violin. 6th grade band. By the end of high school I was playing music 4 to 5 hours a day. Marching band before school. Band first hour. Jazz combo 2nd hour. Blues / Dixieland after school. Also had private lessons. After after school. Occasionally on weekends we would play festivals or public gatherings. On top of that filled in orchestra when we had a special performance or show.
Played in the pit for a week run of Anything Goes which was fun. Also opened once for Herb Alpert. Sometimes we even got paid.
Never in my life have I touched a recorder.
No-Win-2741@reddit
I had recorder classes in 3rd and 4th grade, which would have been 75 through 77. Then for 5th grade we moved to thousand oaks California and we had full instrument offerings in 5th grade. You could learn any instrument, I learned the flute. I feel so scared and that was in 1977.
Windford@reddit
Yes, we had music class and learned to play the Recorder.
Rasputin1916_@reddit
Yes. Music was a regular part of our curriculum. We'd sit criss cross applesauce and try to play Hot Cross Buns on a recorder.
skeletonclaw@reddit
You mean you’d sit Indian style, right?
Sea-Oven-7560@reddit
'68 here. We had art and music all the way from 1st through HS, it just stopped being mandatory in Junior high where Home Ec, Shop and Sociology became mandatory.
Migamix@reddit
More home ec needs to be manditory.
Super-Travel-407@reddit
We did folk songs...some Woody Guthrie...Christmas stuff...had music once a week. (Insrument lessons were optional and offered 2x a week but you had to pay for it AND you missed class).
We did some pop music too--when Grease came out in theaters, we did some of those songs. I imagine they were cleaned up a bit 😛
wieldymouse@reddit
When I went to private school, I'd say we had music at least once a week. When we switched over to public school, I'd say we had it like once every six weeks. This is of course in elementary school. In middle and high school, I had four years of choir that were electives and no musical classes the last two years of school.
HarveyMushman72@reddit
Drill Ye Tarriers Drill, It's Work All Day For Sugar In Your Tay, Down Behind The Railway.
ZenorsMom@reddit
Born in the late sixties. Yes we had music class in elementary.
Like you, our music classes were sort of an offshoot of history. I remember our music teacher teaching us historical songs (Bluenose, though we were prosaically Midwest) and some songs (sadly can't remember them now) that tied in to very specific history about the small towns that were later engulfed by suburbia adjacent to our big city. I also remember a lot of Western cowboy / Appalachian miner type songs like My Darling Clementine and Oh Susannah and I've Been Working on the Railroad.
She gave us context for the songs and I think our main teachers were supposed to integrate that into the history they taught us.
It was a really cool concept and as an adult I would find it so fascinating. As I kid I thought the teacher was weird and unpredictable in her day to day outbursts so I didn't like her. As kids do. I appreciate her so much more looking back.
redknight1969@reddit
'69 vintage here.
In my small Ohio town music class was taught to students grades 1-8. In highschool it was band or chorus.
worrymon@reddit
There was the music class once a week during normal school and then there were lessons where every kid could learn an instrument.
I wanted to learn to play the trumpet so I went in with my mom to the music teacher. I told him I wanted to play trumpet but he said because of my buck teeth, the mouthpiece wouldn't fit. So I said I wanted to play brass. He said the only mouthpiece that was big enough was the trombone but my arms were too long. So he gave me a fucking drum pad and said 'go hit this four times in a row over and over again." I stopped the lessons after a month because I never wanted to be a drummer.
Fuck you Mr. Gee.
ConstructionOk4996@reddit
'65 born.
We had music class 1st through 6th grades. In 5th grade we could join the orchestra.
In junior high and high school we had orchestra, band and chorus.
I went back to my elementary school in '83 to thank my music teacher for being amazing. Music was still being offered then.
I don't remember singing labor songs, as such. My Country 'Tis of Thee, This Land is Your Land, Kumbaya are the ones I remember.
happycj@reddit
Yep. Played drums, misc percussion, and bass by the time I was in high school. Sang in the madrigals group, too. Graduated in 1987.
In junior high school, our jazz band was so hot they actually traveled to jazz festivals and recorded a double album!
Talk about learning experiences!!
Melodic_Caramel1777@reddit
Music in the curriculum - Yes. I (1970) attended a private school k-12. Music was a weekly extra through 6th grade. On music days, our classroom schedule shifted around so we had 45 minutes of music. Music had a dedicated classroom with a full time teacher. She had an upright piano, guitar, autoharp. The class got to use maracas, triangles, kazoos, and these ridged wooden sticks that you rubbed one across the other. Grades 7-8 had the option of chorus or band (had to choose 1). This was treated as a daily subject, so it was built into the schedule like history or math. Grades 9-12 chorus and band were electives, neither required.
Labor songs - No. We sang some fun songs (Hole in the Bucket, Bingo, etc) and some hymns (because private school). I remember singing This Land is Your Land. Being a church affiliated school, nothing was sung/played that wasn‘t church approved.
Blametheorangejuice@reddit
Yes, we had music two or three times a week in the 80s. We would often have a song to work on for a semester and then give a concert. I remember that one was Greenwood’s Proud to be an American, and another was Yellow Submarine.
I can help with the second question. I taught elementary school in the early 2000s, and that was about the time that all of the “specials” started to get cut substantially in our state. Art, PE, Music, Guidance, and so on went from 20 or 30 minute blocks two or three times a week to a rotating schedule where each got 15 or 20 minutes once a week. The scores for math and reading were all that mattered, so all of those extraneous things go cut substantially.
That was also around the time we cut cursive, too.
kermitsfrogbog@reddit
I'm a 1975 model. We had music class. I remember learning some basic theory and singing songs. Outside of the annual Halloween songs everyone loved, I don't remember them. Playing the flutophone (like a recorder) in 3rd grade. I ended up joining the band in 4th grade and played through high school and took the optional music classes when I could. I still play music and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn at a young age.
My kids had music class (2001 and 2005). Perhaps it's location dependent whether or not they nix those programs. I am glad they got to experience it even if only one continued on to enjoy playing music outside of those classes. Though I have to plan my car purchases around whether the Tuba will fit!
lillibrarian19@reddit
I was born in 1969, had music classes K-6. Beginning band started in 5th grade, small school district, no orchestra. As I recall, the curriculum was varied—patriotic, American tunes, folk music, song flute then recorder, orff instruments, classical music appreciation, etc.
My kids (born 1999 and 2001) both had general music K-5, in a very affluent district. Band / orchestra were electives beginning in middle school, 6th grade.
Sensitive-Issue84@reddit
Born in 65, grew up in California. We had music classes and they gave us the instruments to take home. I don't have kids but my sisters kids didn't have instruments. If they wanted to play they haad to rent the equipment.
freddieguts@reddit
1980s, I lived here in the US and abroad in Asia. I dont remember actual time where we did anything but sing in the US. In Asia, we had music class/time. We were issued recorders, and I remember playing the autoharp and 1 of maybe 3 or 4 glockenspiels. Oh, singing too. My sis and I were also subjected to piano lessons at home. I quit those rather quickly. Although, after learning guitar, regret quitting piano. Would've made recording certain parts easier later on.
Jinjebredd@reddit
Born in '77, went to school in Ontario, Canada.
We had music classes all through elementary school. The odd thing is that the curriculum seemed to get less technical as the grade got higher. I remember learning the basics of reading sheet music (Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, and basic rhythm notation for example) in a fairly young grade. Then in the middle grades we played recorders, but we just did nursery rhyme and folk song type melodies. By the upper grades I mostly just remember listening to music, like songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals and stuff in that range.
itgoesineasy@reddit
We had a music teacher that brought in a cart with a record player and some boxes of “instruments”, once a week. We sang for about 30 minutes. I think he went to 2 or 3 schools each week.
introvertednurse75@reddit
I am a 1975 gen xr. We had choir and orchestra in elementary school and I was in both. I grew up in Southern California. I don't remember much about what we sang or played during that time. I remember more about my high school choral music. The director talked about wanting to expose us to different music. We did choral classics as well as modern songs, madrigals, etc.
labboy70@reddit
1970 here. We had music classes through 6th grade.
YouDear9720@reddit
Where else could I have learned 50 nifty united states?
ThermoMother@reddit
I can still name all 50 states in alphabetical order because of this song. It still impresses people
hesathomes@reddit
‘67 and we had both music (instruments) and choir in public school in first through eighth grade.
Specialist-Leek8645@reddit
I remember learning about Ragtime in those classes and that was like foreign music at the time. Made me realize there were lots more kinds of music than what parents listened to.
nixtarx@reddit
Wow. "This Land is Your Land" was as egalitarian as our music education got. Probably because I grew up in a part of Pennsylvania far, far away from Philly, lol. On the other hand, the fact that it was a small college town probably accounted for even getting that much.
Our elementary instructor was a beloved fellow who gave select students their own walk-on music that he would play on piano when they entered the classroom. Mine was Mancini's theme from The Pink Panther. He was the director of the school's, and the municipal men's, choruses. He always gave me solos when other teachers were begging me to better regulate my somewhat overly-sonorous voice. When I was in the fifth grade he promised us that next year we'd be learning the electric piano. He died of a heart attack while mowing his lawn over the summer. I'm still not over it.
Rest in peace "Jolly" Ollie Sexton. I still miss you.
Specialist-Leek8645@reddit
Good memories. :]
johntwoods@reddit
If it helps your research.
Other end of the Gen-x spectrum.
1979.
Portland, Oregon.
Music class for all of elementary.
Capital-Meringue-164@reddit
I went to middle school in Eugene and Oregon schools were truly top tier with arts funding in the 80s.
DeaddyRuxpin@reddit
For K-2 I was in a private Catholic school. I recall there was a music class but I don’t recall which grades. We learned general music education and we did some singing.
In 3rd grade I changed to the local public school and music class there was more general education, some singing, and we learned to play the recorder (that plastic flute like thing). In 4th grade they made us pick between chorus and playing an instrument. The general music education went away and music class was either all singing for those that did chorus or all playing whatever instrument you selected. I did trombone in 4th, and changed to percussion for 5th and 6th.
Starting in Jr High with 7th it all became completely optional if you wanted to play an instrument and chorus was no longer an option at all. (This was later shifted to 6th when they reorganized the schools the following year and the Jr High 7-9 became a middle school 6-8 and the 9th graders moved over to the high school.)
LuceLeakey@reddit
I was born in '69 and grew up in Canada, so I was in elementary school from 1975 through 1980. Grades 1 through 6. I remember having music class in about grade 3 or 4, and they tried to teach us the recorder. I hated it very much. They also used to make us sing, mainly in Christmas pageants and the like. I don't remember any music classes in junior high or high school.
Stephreads@reddit
Yes, music for everyone every other day (switched with art) and in 3rd grade your could also take up a stringed instrument, and in 4th a band instrument. I played viola in 3rd and then clarinet from 4th grade on.
Ray_The_Engineer@reddit
Elementary included 5th and 6th grade when I went through (also a '66 kid, GenX v1.0, I like that lol), and we had band and orchestra offered. Kids would leave class for a while, I'd go off to band and play trumpet there for however long. I also recall a lady coming to class and having us sing songs, etc. She'd have an "Autoharp", a little stringed instrument that had buttons you'd hit to get chords, etc. I don't think I've seen one of those since the 1980's.
Chemical_Author7880@reddit
Same year as you.
I went to public school in NH, and we had music classes and art classes as part of the standard K-6 curriculum. Gym as well.
Fam moved to Florida in the middle of my 6th grade year, and sent us to Catholic school because the Florida school system sucked beyond the telling of it. We still had gym, but no music or art classes. In the Catholic HS taking as art class was an option. No general music classes but if you were in band there was some basic reading music and music theory classes within that extracurricular activity. And we still had gym.
Working-Active@reddit
I was born in 1972 and we had music classes three times a week with a dedicated music teacher who played the piano and harpsichord in North Pole, Alaska. We would sing a lot of old folk songs but maybe the most controversial would be this version of Old Zip Coon.
It seems that there are other versions, but this is what we sang.
Mondschatten78@reddit
Both of the elementaries I went to offered it. The first one it was pretty much just chorus until you got to middle/high school (rural school), the second offered chorus, strings, and band. We also had general music class in both schools where we played triangles and other odd various instruments.
We didn't sing any of the labor songs, but I do recall singing Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog in my last year at the first elementary school.
Runnner5@reddit
1971 here! We had music every other day. Our music teacher was awesome. We also had choir after school. I grew up in Colorado so we sang a lot of John Denver songs.
lisanstan@reddit
'65 here. I vaguely remember square dancing in elementary, it might have been part of PE. I was also in the marching band in 5th grade (saxophone). In junior high, had music class for one semester. I only remember singing and discussing Eleanor Rigby in that class.
MisterEd1966@reddit (OP)
I remember having square dancing as part of our Phys.Ed. classes. We all hated it!
NoSummer1345@reddit
We did square dancing one year and got excited when it was switched to disco the next! I remember trying really hard to dance like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
Capital-Meringue-164@reddit
V 2.0 - 1975 here - I didn’t get to the US until 1980 and I went to a different school in a different state every year after that. It depended on money of course, and I work in arts ed now - it is still this way nationally, with massive variation and states and counties and districts getting to decide on arts funding. In the mid 80s in Colorado mountain schools in elementary we had regular choir practice and sang popular music - We are the World, Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen songs. The year I lived in so cal, no art or music but we had musical theater - I was in the chorus for “Joseph and his amazing technicolor dreamcoat”. In high school in Seattle, we had a full offering of arts, music, PE and sports - I know now how lucky we were.
Parents banding together to keep arts in education is still a major thing - your voice matters!
largos7289@reddit
Yea I don't know thou... It may be different now but back then it just wasn't fun. You had a guy that basically played the piano and made you sing some songs. Then in middle school or 7th, i remember being made to learn to play the recorder. It's sorta cool if your into it, but god it was the worst class when i saw it come up on my rotation of the schedule. I can't imagine kids today doing that past 5-6th grade. I know my kids did have it then, because we went to the recitals.
Gloomy-Athlete701@reddit
We had a fabulous music teacher in elementary, Mrs. Miles. I’m a horrible musician, but I still love and appreciate music, and I know part of that is due to her.
I’m also the only one in my family who loves opera. Mrs. Miles took us on field trips to operas and ballets. I still remember seeing Carmen and Camille because of her, as well as the ballets Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. 🎶🎼🎵❤️
Unkindly-bread@reddit
1972 here. Grew up in the burbs of Detroit. I know we had music class, but don’t remember it at all. I do remember that my kindergarten teacher would play her piano all the time though, and we would do sing alongs.
My wife (also 72) is an elementary school music teacher in the same district we grew up in (and live in). There was some rumblings a decade ago about maybe cutting the arts, but that was pretty quickly squashed.
spsled@reddit
Over here in TX, we would have a music teacher come in to our classroom one a week during elementary. I clearly remember singing Miss Molly Malone , LOL. Once we got to jr high, music was an elective, 5 days a week.
MeowMeowCollyer@reddit
TA TA TI-TI TA
JellyfishFit3871@reddit
We had Miss Chauncey with her autoharp, and I was morbidly fascinated by how her girdle kept up.
But we learned the most depressing songs - "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie," for example. Like, dead waterfowl and that completely mucks your economic plans this winter?
And then I hit third grade and suddenly we were being inclusive and I was supposed to sing something in Swahili, and I didn't know shit about fuck, but we were singing about someone's donkey?
School was weird in the 1970s.
ScaryNation@reddit
Born 68. In elementary school we had a fantastic music teacher who helped us put on little shows, used a pretty broad world music approach, and played the guitar for us while we sang folk songs every Friday. Some of them were also labor/leftist tunes, but it was a college town in the Midwest, so a Safe Space for that kind of thing.
Every now and again she would be gone for a day, and our substitute was a guy who came in and played the sitar for us. We all had to take our shoes off, because “you take your shoes off to play the sitar, man.”
I was fully an adult before I realized he was high as a kite every time.
doveinabottle@reddit
Absolutely had music class in elementary school. My hometown (Milwaukee) had an event every year where all of the public elementary schools would do an all city “concert” of sixth graders at the big arena downtown. I still know all of the words to many of the songs we sang for that.
squirrelsrcool9@reddit
I’m on the other end of Gen-x & I remember being involved in the school chorus & we had recitals all the time. Pretty much all through Elementary & Middle school but by the time I got to high school I don’t think there were any chorus classes just band.
hhrupp@reddit
I remember 2nd grade music class in the annex. Mrs. Drogie taught us Crocodile Rock while she played it on the autoharp. It was epic.
musicjunkee1911@reddit
This song would be amazing for grade school kids to sing. Wow.
Key-Contest-2879@reddit
Born 1968. We had music class. One quarter we all were learning guitar (turned into a shitshow, but we tried). Lots of time with the recorder, too. And of course, percussion.
The last 5-6 minutes of class we would sing. Teacher would play “pop” songs and hand out lyric sheets.
Guilty_Eggplant_3529@reddit
Bicentennial baby. I remember music fairly regularly in elementary school, and then in middle school it was mixed together with art and not an every day kind of thing. Middle school was also outside of the United States, pretty sure it started as an "American school" and by the time I left was an "international school".
GrandPriapus@reddit
In elementary school we had a music class that basically consisted of singing, learning basic musical notation, and occasionally getting to look at instruments. When we got to middle school, we had to take either band or chorus. At the time chorus had the stigma of being for the poor kids who couldn’t afford to rent an instrument, so everyone wanted to do band even if they had no interest. I allowed myself to fall into that trap and ended up fumbling around with an instrument I hated for three years until I could quit.
Altruistic_Relief189@reddit
Middle Gen X. I went to a small parochial school. Most of our Arts Ed was mandatory participation in the choirs and having to sing in church once a month and an arts class was part of the curriculum. They would have done more if the budget had allowed and at one time did try to introduce some instruments. We sang mostly religious songs, most of the secular stuff we learned was stuff like the Sound of Music and flaky folk songs. We did do field trips but they weren't necessarily arts focused.
roytheodd@reddit
My sister and I are four years apart. She's class of 85 and I'm class of 90, due to how birthdays lined up with the school calendar. There were classes available to her that weren't available to me: music appreciation, choir, radio broadcast, video journalism, metal shop.
digawina@reddit
'72, yes we had music all through grade and middle school.
I have a 6th grader and he has also had music all through grade school. Now in middle, they have a choice between band, chorus, and general music., but they are required to pick one.
Chibi-Skyler@reddit
Born in '74. In elementary school, it was music twice a week, art once a week, phys-ed twice a week. Starting in 4th grade, you joined Choir, Orchestra, or both. There was always a Christmas and Spring Concert (I made a post recently about going for ice cream after school concerts). In Jr. High and High School, they were Electives, and our school had Choir, Orchestra, and Stage Band, which performed non-classical music.
Duran518@reddit
We always had music class( 77-82), and only the last two years, were we taught specifically chosen instruments.
ChrisRiley_42@reddit
72 era, We got music classes..
Being Canadian, we learned a lot more french songs.
AJM_1987@reddit
‘69 vintage, elementary school in the Baltimore suburbs in the mid to late-70s definitely had music class.
A few distinct memories: we sang actual Christmas carols (I’m all for inclusivity fwiw) and remember Mrs Kascow (sp?) advising us to not pronounce the “sh” in we *wish* you a merry Christmas… since it comes out way to loud, or something; we sang some odd call and response song “Che Che koolay…”; and Rainbow Connection, since the Muppet Movie had just come out.
Good times, plaid pants notwithstanding…
hocfutuis@reddit
I grew up in England. Playing the recorder was part of our music lessons. There's a tradition of singing in assemblies too, which I guess counts as well. When I moved to Australia, we had music as an elective in highschool, and it was keyboards. Art is also part of the curriculum (I failed that class!)
My daughter is now in Yr 11, and did music and art in earlier grades, but hasn't chosen to do them now.
liand22@reddit
My high school had a very well regarded music program - nationwide recognition in marching band, and multiple award winning ensembles.
ErNz77@reddit
We had music classes in elementary school then you could take chorus, band or orchestra if you wanted. I chose orchestra & played cello until my last year of college.
My son graduated in 2019 & played 4 different instruments from 6th grade until his freshman year. He wanted to do concert band but it was required he do marching band & he tried it & was like this sucks. So I was a bit pissed it was a requirement & still feel that discourages kids from wanting to continue music.
Music & art should definitely stay in schools because most kids do not have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument because they may not have money for an instrument nor lessons.
automator3000@reddit
Late Xer: graduated ‘96. We had “music” class as a normal class all through elementary school. In 5th grade you had to be in either orchestra or choir. In sixth grade you could do orchestra, choir or band. Starting in 9th grade it was fully optional.
MaximumJones@reddit
Both music and art were part of the curriculum. I excelled at music, art not so much.
just_a_knowbody@reddit
My elementary school in Arizona that I went to until 4th grade had a music program. It was optional. I remember I chose to learn violin because they started one grade earlier than wind, brass, and percussion.
There was also a Spanish language program to teach kids Spanish that I started in first grade.
I also recall there being a choir but I didn’t participate in that much. I remember learning some songs from the movie Annie but then we moved to California shortly after I joined and I don’t believe the elementary schools there had similar programs.
-Granby-@reddit
I feel like music is a very important part of life. No music classes here. I taught my daughter to play guitar. We are lucky that we live very close to arguably the best conservatory in the country so just to be immersed in music we go to concerts there constantly. They are free. Their Jazz band. Their orchestra. Senior recitals. Jam sessions at the coffee shop. Chamber performances. We go to all of them and the venues are amazing. They also have the largest collection of pipe organs in the world so those are fun to see.
It is important and that music needs to be experienced.
Of course we go to rock shows quite often too. Going to see Buckethead Friday.
But as the OP said the arts are the first to go and that sucks.
MJblowsBubbles@reddit
I grew up in an industrial area in the 80s and only remember "Marching to Pretoria" as the only labor song. I don't remember any others but as a 5 year old I told my younger mother I hated music because they didn't play any "rock n roll".
We also were forced to do a Christmas recital and maybe something in the spring. The teacher pissed off my grandma in 3rd grade because she didn't buy the right type of shirt. So grandma let me skip that one.
lrhouston@reddit
Born in 76, so I'm at the tail end of genx and we had music classes required until junior high, and optional electives the rest of school
ertyertamos@reddit
Born a bit earlier, but same thing.
Willing_Freedom_1067@reddit
‘72 here. I went to Catholic school in my formative years (until 4th grade), so there was heavy emphasis on things like art, music and (of course) religion. Had to learn that catechism, dontchaknow. All hymns, religious traditional songs, Michael row the boat ashore stuff, you get the idea.
My daughter has had a pretty robust musical education, so far. Signed up for middle school chorus, she was in band in 4th grade (cello), and just loves music in general, all types. Her school district is thankfully well-rounded in its curriculum, mainly because it has a very strong PTA. Without that, not so sure it would be that great.
Pristine-Speaker-768@reddit
I hated music and art. Yes music was part of the curriculum and yes we sang those songs, square danced etc. My 2 youngest are in elementary they don't sing any of the songs I did in school. They don't have any of the holiday concerts/pagents like we had either anymore.
Feeling-Pea5281@reddit
1965er here. We had music "classes" once a week or so in elementary, where a few classes would gather and sing, or see unusual instruments. In 4th or 5th grade, we had the chance to join band or orchestra (I played a mean cello).
rharper38@reddit
We had a great music teacher. He recently passed. He taught us wonderful music. So many of us incorporated "Ode to Joy" into our lives because he taught it to us--it was in my wedding.
We also learned "the Hustle". And he taught us sign language.
Patient_Decision_164@reddit
Catholic school for me (1981-90). Yes, we had music as part of the curriculum but instead of being brainwashed by labor, we were being brainwashed by religion.
Optimal-Ad-7074@reddit
I went to Catholic school up to 10th grade. vaguely remember tambourines and xylophones and such.
choir was a class. we sang hymns.
FoxPowerful4230@reddit
Atlanta suburbs here, and yes, we did have music classes in elementary school (1979-1985). I don’t recall us singing any labor songs, though. We also didn’t do the plastic recorder thing either, though. The main things I remember were using rhythm sticks to play beats, some VERY basic reading of proto-notation, the harpsichord, and an introduction to the instruments of the orchestra.
moopet@reddit
We had music, including choir and theory. UK 73.
imzadi111@reddit
My kids still have/had music in elementary school. All the kids take choir. They have the option to start learning an instrument starting in the 4th grade. I *thought this was common.